Car-dumping apparatus.



PATENTED DEC. 24, 1907.

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7 INVENTOR A froze/v5 ys R. HAY.

GAR DUMPIN-G APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED MAYZQ 1907 No. 874,5 03. PATENTED DEC. 24, 1907.

v R.- HAY. OAR DUMPING APPARATUS. APPLICATION TILED MAY 29. 1907.

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ROBERT HAY, OF MOUNT PLEASANT, PENNSYLVANIA.

CAR-DUMPING APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 24, 1907.

Application filed May 29. 1907. Serial No. 376,360-

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ROBERT HAY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Mount Pleasant, in the county of VVestmoreland and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Car-Dumping Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

This invention has reference to improvements in means for dumping cars or wagons, and is applicable for dumping coal or ore or any other material from railroad cars or pit wagons.

The object of the invention is to provide means whereby a number of cars or wagons may be simultaneously dumped, so that the handling of the material to be dumped may be expeditiously accomplished.

The invention consists essentially of a rotary support capable of receiving a number of cars or wagons and of holding the same against displacement, together with means for moving the structure about a longitudinal axis, whereby the cars or wagons are inverted and their loads caused to fall by gravity to the desired point of deposit, after which the cars or wagons may be righted and removed from the dumping mechanism.

In order to properly operate the dumping structure there is provided a rope or cable system so arranged as to apply power to the dumping structure at a number of points thereon to overcome twisting strains, and means are provided whereby the rope system may be operated from one point as a unit. For this purpose, I have devised a simple, steam-operated structure by means of which a piston is made to reciprocate in one direction or the other at will and is connected to the rope or cable system in such manner that the said system is moved in all parts as a unit.

The invention will be fully understood from the following detailed description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings forming part of this specification, in

which,

Figure 1 is a plan view showing the terminals of the rope or cable system and the means for uniting these terminals and including between them the operating means for the system; Fig. 2 is a section, partly in elevation and partly broken away, of one end of the operating steam structure; Fig. 3 is a plan view, partly in section and partly broken away, of the dumping mechanism with which the rope system shown in Fig.

1 and its operating means coact; Fig. 4 is an end view of the dumping mechanism and Fig. 5 is a view of a modified form of power mechanism.

Referring to the drawings, there is shown a steam cylinder 1 within which moves a iston 2 carrying piston-rods 3 projecting rom each side of the piston through cylinderheads 4 at each end thereof, with the passage rendered suitably steam-tight by packing glands 5. At the outer end of each pistonrod beyond the cylinder 1 is another piston 6 of such size as to fit quite snugly within an open pocket 7 secured to each cylinder-head. This pocket is finished quite true and the piston 6 is turned down to fit the same with sufficient accuracy so that when it enters the pocket 7 the air confined therein cannot escape except slowly, and, therefore, acts as an air cushion. Since the cylinder 1 with its piston 2 constitutes a simple form of reciprocating engine, without cranks or other meansto stop the direct motion, this air cushion is a feature of importance as it prevents sudden stopping and shocks or strains uponthe mechanism.

The piston 6 is formed with a boss 8 to which the piston-rod may be connected by a through key 9[ At the front of the boss 8 there is formed an L-extension 10 with downwardly projecting arms between which is journaled a roller 11 arranged to travel upon a track 12, so that the end of the piston-rod 3 together with the piston 6 and the structures fast thereon are properly supported as the piston rod reciprocates. At tached to the extension 10 of the boss 8 is an eye-coupling 13 on one end of a short rope or cable 14, the other end of which is fast between links 15 secured at their other ends of a truck 16 carrying wheels 17 adapted to run upon tracks 18.

Fast in the truck 16 are eye-bolts 19 held in place by nuts 20. The end of the other piston-rod 3 is also connected by means of an eye-coupling 13 to a rope or cable 21 extendi around a sheave 22 suitably journaled in a ed portion of the structure (not shown), and at the other end of this rope or cable 21 there is another truck 23 in all respects similar to the truck 16 and also carrying eyebolts 19. The truck 23 runs upon another track 18'similar to the first-named track 18 and located adjacent thereto, or, if desired, elsewhere located.

Located at the point where the cars are to be dumped there is a cylindrical structure 24 of sufiicient length to contain as many cars or wagons as may be desired. This struc ture is composed of side plates 25 of metal, suitably bent and arranged opposite each other and connected at intervals by exterior annular bands 26. of any suitable shape in cross section, but by preference these bands will be made of railroad rails. At suitable intervals or all along the bottom portion of the cylindrical structure 24 are cross ties 27, which may also serve the purpose of brace rods or may be further formed so as to constitute a floor for the cylindrical structure. Upon these ties 27 are secured rails 28 of ordinary railroad type for the support of suitable dumping cars 29, when such cars are used. When pit wagons are used the structure may be suitably formed for their reception. The wheels 30 of each car are formed with extended hubs 31, and arranged longitudinally within the structure 24 are angle irons 32 held by brackets 33 at such intervals as may be necessary. These angle irons 32 are so dis osed that the hubs 31 will pass thereun er but so close to them that the wheels 30 cannot leave the rails 28. .In addition to these angle irons 32, there is provided a longitudinal bar 34 at a point about coincident with the side of a car 29 near its upper edge, and this bar 34 is supported by brackets 35 suitably disposed along the interior of the structure 24. The annular bands or hoops 26 are engaged by grooved rollers 36 mounted upon suitable journal bearings 37 fast on the trestle (not shown) upon which the various parts are supported, and these rollers 36 are so disposed as to sustain the weight of the rotar structure 24 constituting the cylindrica car su port. There are as many hoops 26 as may e necessary to impart proper strength to the structure 24 and to provide tracks upon which it may turn on the grooved rollers 36, the latter serving not onl as supports but as guiding rollers; At sultable intervals there is disposed alongside of each hoop 26 an annular band 38 of angle iron, and between each band 38 and the hoop 26 there is located an annular grooved hoop 39 of wood or other such material, which wooden hoop is designed to receive a rope or cable 40 fast to the cylindrical dumping structure by means of a staple 41 or other suitable fastening device, so that when the ropes 40 are pulled in one direction the entire cylinder 24 is moved rotatively upon its longitudinal axis to the desired distance, and when the ropes 40 are pulled in the opposite direction the cylinder 24 will be rotatively returned to its initial position. Each rope 40 passes over suitable guiding sheaves 42 and 43 and thence to other sheaves 44 and 45, and its ends are finally carried, one to the eye-bolt 19 on the truck 16 and the other to t e eyebolt 19 on the truck 23.

In the particular structure under consideration there are three ro cs 40 shown, but a larger number may be ut1 ized where it is desirable to have a longer cylinder 24 capable of handling a larger number of cars.

It may be noted that for the pur ose of saving space the structure shown in ig. 1 is arranged below and parallel with the axis of the cylinder 24, and for this reason the sheaves 42 are arranged at right angles to the sheaves 44 and the sheaves 43 are arranged at right angles to the sheaves 45. Further more, the several sheaves 44 are arranged in different vertical planes, and the sheaves 45 are also arranged in different vertical planes relative one to the other, so that the ropes 40 will not interfere one with the other or with the sheaves on their passage to the trucks 16 and 23.

While I have described the use of a reciprocating steam structure as the power means for controlling the ropes 40, the intermediate ropes 14 and 21 may be connected at the ends of a rack bar 46 under the control of a gear pinion 47 driven by any suitable source of power whereby the direction of rotation of the pinion 47 may be reversed at will to cause the rack to travel in one direction or the other.

Now, let it be supposed that the tracks 28 are in line with and interposed between the ends of suitable stationary tracks, and that the cars 29 are run from the stationary tracks upon the tracks 28 until the cylinder 24 contains as many cars 29 as its length will permit. Now, by the application of power the truck 16 may be caused to move toward the cylinder 1. This will pull all those ends of the ropes 40 which are connected to the truck 16 and pass over the sheaves 44 and 42 to the cylinder 24. Since the ropes are fast upon the periphery of the cylinder 24 the lat- 'ter is constrained to rotate upon its longitudinal axis, moving freely a out the same upon the rollers 36. This will cause the inversion of the cars 29, but these cars will not leave the tracks 28 since when they are inverted the angle irons 32, engaging the hubs 31 of the wheels 30, hold the cars securely in place, and the strain is further relieved by the strips 34 supporting those sides of the cars which, when the cylinder 24 is turned as described, become the lowermost sides. The rotation of the cylinder 24 is continued until the cars are upset, when their contents will gravitate through the opening left between the upper ends of the side plates 25. By this time the pistons 6 have reached the cushion pockets 7 and the motion is arrested gradually and easily without shock. While the operation just described has been taking place those portions of the ropes 40 which pass over the sheaves 43 and 45 have been wound up on the cylinder 24 and the truck 23 has been dragged along the tracks 18 in a cars may be withdrawn from the cylinder24 and other loaded cars be moved thereinto to be dumped and again removed.

In order to provide steam operated means for the purposes of the present invention, which means is especially adapted for the operation just described, I have found it necessary to modify the operating parts of the steam cylinder in some respects, and these modifications are shown in Fig. 2. In order to prevent leakage of steam past the piston packing the latter is made of two outer, juxtaposed rings 48 and another single wide ring 49 interior thereto. The ring 49 is split and has a tendency to open. The exterior packing rings are also split and when the three rings are placed in position upon the piston the meeting edges are disposed in different radial planes, so that no one is in close relation to any of the others. Now, when the exterior rings wear the inner ring, because of its resiliency, will follow up the packing rings and prevent the escape of steam under the latter.

The cylinder is providedv with a steam chest 50 at each end. Into each steam chest there enters a steam supply pipe 51, and each steam chest is supplied with a slide-valve 52. The slide-valves are each connected by a valve-rod 53 to a common arm 54 rising from a rock-shaft 55 journaled about midway of the cylinder upon a suitable support 56, and

the rock-shaft 55 is under the control of a lever 57. In the bottom of each steam chest are formed two ports 58 and 59. The port 58 leads through a pipe 60 to the interior of the cylinder in front of the respectiveside of the piston 2 close to the corresponding cylinder-head 4. The other port 59 leads to an exhaust opening 61. Within each steam chest is an auxiliary slide-valve. 62 having ports 63 spaced to open or close the ports 58,

and 59 simultaneously. This sup lemental slide-valve62 is formed with endanges 64 to one of which is connected an operating rod 65. The main slide-valve 52 is of the usual type and is made to ride upon and move for a distance independently of the supplemental slide valve 62.

The slide valve 52 controls the port 63 only, while the supplemental slide valve 62 controls the ports 58 and 59. Now, by suitably connecting up the valve-rods 65 they may be operated independently of the piston-rods so as to cut off the steam supply at one end of the cylinder at any portion of the stroke, so that the steam may operate expansively without the other slide-valve being affected, under which conditions the supplemental slide-valve at the exhaust end of the cylinder may be so located as to have the exhaust port fully open to the exhaust end of the cylinder. When the active end of the cylinder becomes the exhaust end, the connections to the piston-rod may be such that the supplemental slide-valve 62 previously moved to the cut-oil position will then be moved to the full exhaust position, and by simply varying the position of the actuating member on the piston-rod the supplemental slide-valve may be made to cut off the steam supply at any desired point, to always pull open the exhaust port when the piston starts to move in the op osite direction. This is all independent 0' the manually operated slide-valve 52. The connections between the piston-rods and the valve operating rods 65 have not been shown. since such connections will be at once apparent to the constructive engineer.

I claim 1. A car dumping apparatus comprising a cylindrical support for the cars mounted for rotation upon a fixed longitudinal axis, a plurality of flexible operating means extending therefrom to a distant point, and a single reciprocating power element acting simul-- taneously through all the flexible means to turn the cylindrical support upon its longitudinal axis from the initial position to a position to invert the cars and to then turn it again to its initial position.

2. In a car dumping apparatus, a cylindrical support for the cars mounted for rotation upon a longitudinal axis at a number of points along its length, a plurality of flexible o erating means connected at spaced points a ong the cylindrical support and'extending therefrom to a distant point and there united into two groups, and a single reciprocating power element connected at opposite ends .to a corresponding group of flexible operating means to act thereon simultaneously to turn the cylindrical support on its axis in one direction to invert the cars and to turn it in the other direction back to its initial position.

3. In a car dumping apparatus, a cylindrical support for the cars mounted to turn upon a longitudinal axis, annular metal tracks peripherally disposed upon the cylindrical support, annular brackets adjacent to said annular tracks, and annular non-metallic sheaves confined between the brackets and the tracks for receiving operating ropes or cables.

4. In a car dumping apparatus, a cylindrical support for the cars comprising segmental, longitudinally disposed side plates separated at top and bottom, annular peripheral tracks connecting said side plates, annular brackets adjacent to the tracks,

annular sheaves between the brackets and tracks, longitudinal car tracks Within the cylinder, and longitudinally disposed strips Within the cylinder overhanging portions of the cars When introduced Within the cylinder and confining them to the car tracks When the cylinder is rotated on its longitudinal axis.

5. In a car dumping apparatus, a rotatable cylinder for the cars, a plurality of flexible connections secured to the cylinder 'at spaced points there-along and extending to a distant point, trucks, each connected to all the like ends of the flexible connections, and a single impart opposite in the presence of two Witnesses.

' ROBT. HAY.

Witnesses F. K. GILBERT, W. M. OVERHOLT. 

